Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lakewood, WA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $3,124 in Lakewood, WA, rent and utilities included – about $22,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

150

Cost of Living Index in Lakewood, WA
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Lakewood, WA Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Lakewood, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,124

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lakewood, WA and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lakewood, WA and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,124 in Lakewood, WA versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Lakewood, WA $3,124
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,566 in Lakewood, WA versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Lakewood, WA $4,566
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,008 in Lakewood, WA versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Lakewood, WA $6,008
Phuket $3,115

Living in Lakewood, WA is roughly 141% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lakewood, WA is 131% above, Phuket is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.23 $18.23

$4.39 ฿148

315.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.3 $67.3

$32.31 ฿1,086

108.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.52 $12.52

$8.70 ฿293

43.91%

Cappuccino

$5.22 $5.22

$2.72 ฿91.6

91.91%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 $2.89

$0.93 ฿31.28

210.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.50 ฿16.79

304.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.53 ฿85.1

58.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 $6.17

$3.63 ฿122

69.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.74 ฿58.5

-38.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 $3.59

$1.45 ฿48.77

147.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.25 $4.25

$1.50 ฿50.5

183.33%

Eggs

$3.90 $3.90

$2.17 ฿73.0

79.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.63 $13.63

$19.09 ฿642

-28.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.71 $8.71

$3.40 ฿114

156.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 $11.14

$10.90 ฿366

2.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.94 ฿98.9

48.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.69 ฿56.9

18.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$2.19 ฿73.8

89.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.12 ฿71.4

113.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.46 ฿49.03

36.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.37 ฿45.99

64.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.08 ฿36.17

87.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$0.55 ฿18.34

330.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.44 $12.44

$4.43 ฿149

180.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.07 $16.07

$18.25 ฿614

-11.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.77 ฿59.6

12.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.21 $4.21

$2.88 ฿96.8

46.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.45 ฿48.66

38.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.6 $60.6

$54.9 ฿1,845

10.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.51 ฿50.9

29.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 $0.65

$0.78 ฿26.08

-16.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.89 $30.89

$3.84 ฿129

704.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.49 ฿50.0

-6.71%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.3K $28.3K

$26.9K ฿903.7K

5.40%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.6K $26.6K

$26.3K ฿885.7K

1.01%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$295 $295

$97.8 ฿3,288

201.53%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$72.5 $72.5

$11.29 ฿380

542.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.3 $89.3

$17.19 ฿578

419.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.25 $40.25

$68.3 ฿2,297

-41.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.18 $25.18

$10.92 ฿367

130.59%

Cinema Ticket

$17.97 $17.97

$7.43 ฿250

141.86%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,011 $2,011

$530 ฿17.8K

279.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K $12.3K

$18.8K ฿631.4K

-34.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 $50.5

$61.7 ฿2,073

-18.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.55 $37.55

$28.25 ฿950

32.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$96.0 ฿3,228

5.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 $136

$86.8 ฿2,919

56.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,942 $1,942

$721 ฿24.2K

169.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,705 $1,705

$509 ฿17.1K

235.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,351 $3,351

$1,950 ฿65.6K

71.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,057 $3,057

$1,397 ฿47.0K

118.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,116 $3,116

$4,192 ฿140.9K

-25.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,342 $2,342

$3,298 ฿110.9K

-28.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

5.57

19.93%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Lakewood, WA: November 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Lakewood, WA

$1.7K 54.6%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 70.2% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lakewood, WA

$457 14.6%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 72.3% $330

Groceries & Markets

Lakewood, WA

$368 11.8%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 27.4% $101

Eating Out

Lakewood, WA

$298 9.5%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 59.9% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Lakewood, WA

$146 4.7%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 16% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Lakewood, WA

$76 2.4%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 9.2% $7

Getting Around

Lakewood, WA

$74 2.4%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 10.4% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,942 in Lakewood, WA and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Lakewood, WA vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $267 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lakewood, WA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

12:08 12:08 PM

03:08 3:08 AM

15 h ahead of Lakewood, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,024

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lakewood, WA Phuket 12,690 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

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Lakewood, WA
Phuket

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lakewood, WA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,124 in Lakewood, WA and $1,294 in Phuket, so Phuket is about 59% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,685 in Lakewood, WA and $1,940 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,942 in Lakewood, WA versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $67 in Lakewood, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $3,124 per month in Lakewood, WA versus $1,294 in Phuket – Phuket is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $3,124 in Lakewood, WA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Lakewood, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Lakewood, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.